When girls take charge

On October 11, to commemorate the International Day of the Girl, change-makers from Telangana took over the ‘Embassy of Netherlands, Czech Republic and Spain’ in the national capital. They are part of a group of 17 girls from 10 states who stepped into the shoes of ambassadors and high commissioners of 17 countries to send a strong message of equality, freedom and power for girls and young women.

20-year-old, Pasupuleti from Hyderabad took over ‘Netherlands Embassy’ in New Delhi. She actively shadowed Anneke Adema, deputy chief of Mission, Embassy of the Netherlands and took on her roles for a day, chairing meetings and engaging with the key staff.

Pasupuleti lost her father at an early age. She respects her mother who ensured Pasupuleti receives education and should not be married at an early age. She feels that every girl must be given priority and should not be taken for granted by the society. She also believes that women should stand by each other because a single individual will not be able to change the mindset of the society.

Speaking about the takeover of Netherlands Embassy Pasupuleti said, “I want that girls should be given proper education so that they can enjoy their fundamental rights. Education is a must for all, especially for girls. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to tell others that with education anything is possible.”

18-year-old, Sravani from Secunderabad district, took over Czech Republic Embassy in New Delhi. She actively shadowed Milan Hovorka, ambassador for Embassy of Czech Republic and took on his roles for a day, chairing meetings and engaging with the key staff.

Despite facing difficulties, she is studying and is also a member of various programmes such as Child Forum and the Youth Advisory Panel. She is passionate about eliminating issues like female infanticide, sexual harassment, illiteracy and the unfair dowry system. Taking a stance against these beliefs, she has been instrumental in successfully convincing parents to allow their children to continue pursuing education. She has also spoken in support of allowing girls to pursue their passion in photography over academics.

Speaking about the takeover of Czech Republic Embassy Sravani said, “I feel very happy for being nominated as the Ambassador. Girls and boys must be treated equally. Issues like child abuse, eve teasing and dowry should be stopped in our nation and we should provide equal opportunities to both the genders”.

Sai Shruthi, a student of 3rd year Engineering has a heart full of compassion and care. She has done commendable work in creating awareness on dengue, tirelessly going door to door to survey and spread the need for an environment that can help in prevention of the disease. She feels that the mind-set of her community, where they feel that a woman’s role is strictly to stay indoors and take care of the house, needs to change and girls need to be given the freedom to do what they want. The work done by women, even if it is taking care of her house, needs to be recognised and valued. Her incredible spirit to bring about change saw her receive the best social service award on August 15 at the Ashwin Cricket Academy.

Shruthi took over Gautam S Bhattacharya, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi. The symbolic takeover have been organised by Plan India, in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to India, along with 16 Diplomatic Missions in New Delhi.

Globally, Plan International has launched the #GirlsTakeover action as a bold new campaign that calls for increased investment in girls’ power, potential and leadership. This campaign is the world’s biggest girl-led action for gender equality. Over 1000 #GirlsTakeover were held in more than 70 countries to mark International Day of the Girl.